OUR CURRENT CURRICULUM

Sunday, April 4, 2010

I've been having a difficult time figuring out what Science curriculum to teach my boys. We are Creationists, so I don't want Science curriculum that focuses on Evolution as the origin of life. I found some good Christian curriculum that is Creationist, but it's SO EXPENSIVE and I'm on a strict budget right now. And I'm not a Science person. Never have been. Any form of Science, forget it. I barely passed the subject, I highly doubt I could effectively TEACH the subject.

So imagine my pleasant surprise when I decided to browse the online store at the Institute for Creation Research. I found a Science curriculum that I can use with both of my boys for only $25.

The Origin of Life curriculum includes a CD-ROM that is packed with K through 12 reproducible classroom activities and PowerPoint presentations, and a teacher's manual. It's designed to work within your current Science curriculum, so I'm going to have to purchase it and look over it to see if I NEED another Science curriculum, but I think it would be a good start to our Science curriculum until I can start purchasing other items.

I found a book called Building Blocks in Science that would be an excellent accompaniment to Origins of Life, especially for Christopher. It's a Biblically-grounded evolution-free look at early man. The author explores some of the most interesting areas of science: fossils, the errors of evolution, the evidences for creation, all about early man and human origins, dinosaurs, and even "races." Dr. Parker's lively discussions of DNA, Neanderthal art, Darwinian thought, and the scriptural evidence for creation present both a physiological and philosophical picture of God's intent for our existence on planet earth.

I want our first Science studies to be about the Creation of humans, how we are awesomely and wonderfully made, so I think Building Blocks in Science would be a good book to start with. I feel that is the most important factor in teaching children about God. When they realize just how wonderfully they are created, it gives them a foundation of developing a strong relationship with God.

I found a LOT of other books to use in our Science studies. Altogether they would end up being quite expensive. But I don't need all of the books at once, and I can afford $32 a month. My wish list at ICR is quite large now. And I was only looking in the store for 20 minutes. But the store was so awesome to me, I think I may have added everything they have in their store to my wish list. If not everything, most of it.

Homeschool Blogs

These links are what I found on Google, and to save you time, I've posted them all in one place. Otherwise, feel free to Google it yourself.

Some of the links below are links to files I have personally created for my own use (they or the category name will be marked with a * ). However, even though they are my creations, you do not need to credit me for them should you choose to use them. Credit for them would be nice, but it is not required.

The only credit I request is for experiences mentioned in my blog entries. If I write about something that you find useful and want to write about it in your own blog, a little credit for where you got the idea would be nice. Not REQUIRED, but appreciated.

CURRICULUM

Ambleside Online (Charlotte Mason-based; free curriculum, may have to purchase some books)

OTHER USEFUL WEBSITES

KwizNet (interactive quizzes for multiple subjects; can also be printed out)

Raising Real Men This book is a treasure trove of practical tips to help you to raise your sons right. It will answer your questions, help you avoid mistakes, bring them up in the Lord, and understand them